Welcome to the last Saving Throw of June, and the last Saving Throw before the Origins International Games Expo 2006. That's right; it begins tomorrow and ends Sunday, so if you're in the Columbus, Ohio area, you might want to take a look.

The Saving Throw news archive is now complete. Each column will have links in the sidebar for the archive, as well as links with each story in the column. Hopefully, you'll find it helpful.

Today, we actually have two submissions again! And one of them isn't by me! Naturally, this makes me very happy. Thank you, Carabbit. Have a golden caret: ^

Our lovely previewer gives us a story about a dying rogue and how he was almost on the verge of giving up... for a time, anyway. I give you a guide for designers presenting different ways of handling damage in your tabletop RPGs. Again, we have a lot of releases, and this week we also have a lot of news, especially for those of you who like contests.

The company's 2005 sales were down 13% from 2004, but this was attributed to the release of fewer products as a result of the distraction provided by their move to newer facilities. e23, the company's digital-product division, has been running for over a year and sales continue to grow, though the company failed to meet its goal of having 1,000 files available for download by 2005, and even at the time of the writing, had only 932 available. The company plans to continue to support GURPS, Fourth Edition with the release of a hardcover supplement every two months. Failures for the company include continued staff turnover, slow translations for GURPS Lite, and the end of the Game Aids program.

Neo Productions is giving fans a chance to win a free four-day pass for Gen Con Indy this year. Normally, these passes cost $75. The contest, which started June 23, is simple: interested fans simply have to write a review of any Neo Productions product, have it published on the net before July 31, and inform Neo Productions by email (contact@neoproductions.net). For every review posted, the reviewer's name will put into the random drawing for the free pass. Reviewers can get a bonus entry for reviews posted on RPGNow.com. More information can be found at this forum thread.

Northeast Games, Inc. will be giving cash and prizes worth a total of $40,000 to players of its Mystical Empire CCG at the MEGA Face Off tournament at Gen Con Indy. It is being predicted that there will be over 200 players competing for these prizes. The first-place prize will be $10,000 and "Cards For Life." The second-place prize is $5,000 and "Card For a Year," and the third-place prize is $2,500.

At Origins 2006 and Gen Con Indy, Twilight Creations is implementing a program where participants in Twilight events earn one point for their participation and two additional points for winning the event. Winners of these events will receive a separate prize, but the individual who has the most points at the end of the convention will receive Twilight For Life, a copy of all future Twilight Creations products.

Wizards of the Coast has launched a contest for Dungeons and Dragons fans with film production skills. Known as the D&D Fan Film Fest, September 1 is the deadline for entrants to produce their own Dungeons and Dragons-related film. Finalists will be selected American Idol-style with fans voting on their ten favorite films out of all the entries. Those selected will be judged by a special panel of celebrity Dungeons and Dragons fans, game developers, and independent film experts. Three grand finalists will have their film shown at Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day in Los Angeles on Nov. 4. The winner will receive a prize package including a new computer, a video camera, and other Dungeons and Dragons memorabilia such as a limited edition chess set.

Steve Jackson Games is looking for a lead playtester for their upcoming GURPS High-Tech supplement. As usual with GURPS playtests, it will be conducted on a closed mailing list and only Pyramid subscribers are eligible to apply. The playtest will be conducted from July 24 to September 1. Interested individuals must apply by June 30; more details can be found here.

Being this was already a big column, I'm not going to make it any bigger with a long outro. Instead, I'll see you again next week with another Saving Throw, and may you never take more than half damage.